Rin's Relationship Rules
by Ashe Corinthos
Summary: "I'll always be here if you need me, you know that." -Len has always been by Rin's side, through thick and thin. (LenRin oneshot.)


**Rule 1: "If I need you, always be there, no matter what."**

* * *

 _Quiet weeping echoes through the chilly autumn night, followed by soft, comforting murmurs._

 _In her darkened bedroom, Rin rests on her best friend's lap, her hair being stroked with the faintest of feather-light touches. Len gazes down at her in the dim moonlight, feeling her tears soaking his pants but not minding it in the slightest. Seeing her so broken up, so pale and sad... made his heart hurt._

 _"S-sorry." She sniffles, clearly trying to keep her voice steady, but failing. "You d-didn't have to come here s-so late..."_

 _"Of course I did," Len answers, rubbing her shoulder gently and glancing at the clock on her bedside table. Bright, contrasting red numbers read: 3:12 AM._

 _"I just... I c-couldn't -" Rin continues, her fingers gripping the fabric of his pants._

 _"I know." He shushes her quietly, kissing the top of her head and doing his best to lull her with his voice. "It's okay. I'll always be here if you need me, you know that."_

 _In response, Rin moves to clutch his torso, burying her face in his shirt in a silent show of appreciation._

* * *

 **Rule 2: "If we're fighting, don't let me walk away and stew about it."**

* * *

 _"You're an idiot!" the blonde girl yells, her face tinged red with fury. "You're so stupid, Len Kagamine!"_

 _She turns on her heel to stomp away, but Len will have none of that. Catching her wrist in a smooth movement, Len forces Rin to face him again, refusing to let her go when she tries to wrench herself away._

 _"Why am I an idiot? Rin, you can't just start off on a tirade without giving me any reasons as to why I might need to apologize!" he demands, eyes flashing in determined retaliation._

 _"You! You just ignored every one of my calls and made me worry, you stupid jerk!" Her cheeks are flushed red, and her brilliantly cerulean eyes shine with the strength of her emotions, mouth quirked into a menacing scowl. "Here I was, thinking you might've died or something, but you were too busy studying with Neru to answer me last night, huh? I wouldn't have even cared if you called me in the dead of night - at least text me instead of being a total ass!"_

 _Len had never seen Rin look like this before; raging and confused, and toward him, no less. It's more than a little shocking - and just a little bit sweet._

 _"Look, Rin, I wasn't studying with Neru - I actually passed out not long after I got home and forgot to call her," Len clarifies, watching the color slowly drain from the girl's face. "I had my phone off, so that's why I didn't answer any of your calls. I wouldn't purposely ignore you, Rin."_

 _Rin, now blushing out of embarrassment rather than anger, continues to glare at him stubbornly. "Y-you think that excuses it?" she says, though her tone has lost most of its fire._

 _She blinks in surprise when he reaches over and ruffles her hair, releasing her wrist to give her an affectionate smile._

 _"Sorry, Rin," he says, taking in her vaguely annoyed expression and chuckling lightly. "Don't worry so much, 'kay?"_

 _"...You're still an idiot," Rin tells him, though a little half smile settles on her lips, and he knows she's not mad anymore._

* * *

 **Rule 3: "I don't care who you are; if you touch my oranges, you die."**

* * *

 _Len can't believe his luck! Right in front of him sits a fresh orange, ripe and ready to eat. Perfect, round, shiny... Definitely not a banana, but still a rather good snack. (Not that he'd let Rin ever know that he enjoys them sometimes. Bananas and oranges have been in an ongoing war for 'best fruit' for the longest time between he and Rin, and now it's a permanent stalemate.)_

 _Normally he'd do anything to avoid eating one of Rin's most precious treats, as she'd probably rip him limb by limb for even coming within five feet of the citrus fruit. But he'd skipped lunch, and it now, more than ever, looked appetizing. Anyway, there's a whole bowlful... she won't notice one's missing, right?_

 _With that train of thought and a loudly growling stomach, Len confiscates the orange at the top of the pile and hastily peels it, eyes narrowed as he watches his surroundings. Luckily, Rin went to go shower, so surely he'll have enough time to snarf down the entire thing without her even know-_

 _"What in the nine rings of orange hell do you think you're doing?"_

 _Len freezes, an orange slice crammed partially into his mouth and the evidence of his treachery a mess on the counter. His eyes blink cluelessly at the girl standing in the doorway of the kitchen, her stance and body language screaming murder._

 _"Uh- um-" Len searches for a believable excuse, knowing he's royally screwed and there's no way of escaping the room, other than where Rin currently lurked. "I-I was really hungry, y'know, and I couldn't find anything else, so -"_

 _"- So you have a death wish! That's the only explanation for touching my oranges," Rin answers for him, before a twisted smile crosses her face and she cracks her knuckles._

 _Len tries to persuade her, fear beginning to build. There's a reason as to why he was trying to avoid this outcome. "W-wait, Rin, c'mon - I'm your best friend, don't do anything rash, now -"_

 _A chill runs down Len's spine as she takes a step closer, a low giggle emitting from her throat._

 _"Best friend or not, you're going to die~!"_

 _…Some time much later, the screaming finally dies down._

* * *

 **Rule 4: "Don't have pervy thoughts around me! _Idiot!_ "**

* * *

 _Sweet, radiant blue eyes. Sweeping golden locks that brush her shoulders oh-so gently. A slightly sassy walk but an innocent face, and creamy, almost translucent skin. Walking beside her tealette best friend, she shines like the angel she is. Len eyes the white and blue uniform accentuating her curves, musing over how strange it is that Rin actually has any; she's always been so tomboyish._

 _While Len awaits the aforementioned girl to arrive at his lunch table, he struggles to keep his eyes off Rin's pretty form. He can't help but admire the way her short skirt moves against her slim legs in momentum with every sway and stride as she avidly converses with Miku._

 _He can't help it, though - hormones draw his gaze to rather questionable places. After all, since when did Rin actually have a chest? Did it magically appear or something? It's a true mystery how the girl, who once swore off dresses and gave herself a jagged haircut with a pair of safety scissors, turned into an actual woman. (Er, everything but her attitude, anyway.) While watching her right now, he marvels over the fact she's actually so - as cheesy as it sounds - beautiful. It really is a miracle how she's actually got something to fill out her shirt - in fact, the more he looks at them, the more they grow. Wait..._

 _Rin's screech - right in front of him - interrupts his thoughts, and his eyes snap up to her returns his gaze with a piercing glare. Miku, beside her, looks more than a little embarrassed._

 _Oops. Len realizes fast, as if hit with a bucket of icy water, that he was seen._

 _"Rin, I can explain!" he begins, and she raises a fist, growling._

 _"You're such a pervert, eyeing Miku like that!" she yells, and Len's eyes go round. "Staring at her like a creep! You'll pay for that!"_

 _Len takes two seconds to process, but before he can formulate even the slightest thing to counter that with - 'No, Rin, I was staring at your chest, not Miku's,' - he's facing Rin's fist, and that's the end of all thoughts besides one -_

 _Whoops._

* * *

 **Rule 5: "Fight for me. If you really care about me, don't let someone else try to take me away."**

* * *

 _"Stop it!"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"B-because, Meito, I'm not - my feelings are for -"_

 _"I don't care. Whoever he is clearly doesn't deserve you if he hasn't realized your feelings yet. Let me show you how much I can care for you..."_

 _"W-wait, no, don't -!"_

 _Meito has Rin cornered against a wall outside school, his much larger hands wrapped around her small wrists. He wears a thin, conceited smirk as his lips brush up against her jawline._

 _Rin, stunned and clearly frightened, tries to push back against him, her lithe body not packing quite enough power to force her way out of the unwanted grasp of the brunet._

 _"Meito, let- let go of me -!" she's crying, her voice panicked._

 _Meito simply laughs."Why? No one's done this to you before, right?" His voice is low, dark, as he keeps her pinned in place. "Try some things with me."_

 _"No -!"_

 _"Get your filthy hands off her!"_

 _Len's hands dig into the fabric of Meito's shirt and he swiftly forces the other boy off and away from Rin, throwing him to the ground, his actions fueled by pure adrenaline. His blue eyes are wide with outrage,his breathing reduced to short puffs._

 _The only thing he had to see was Meito daring to touch Rin, to see how terrified she was, for something to click inside him. Any passivity or mercy he might have had flew out the window, and he was overwhelmed with the need to destroy Meito, to wring his neck and break every finger so he couldn't handle Rin like that. Seeing his Rin with a dirtbag like Meito made his blood boil under his skin._

 _Meito, glaring up at Len from the ground, glances from one blonde to the other. He spits out his next words, "What the hell, man?"_

 _"Get out of here, Meito." Len scowls at him, before looking sideways at Rin. She stands still, staring at Len as if he's become a complete stranger. Her small hands are clasped against her chest tightly, knuckles nearly white._

 _Meito slowly picks himself up off the ground, making a noise of annoyance. "Who told you to butt in, Kagamine?" he growls, irritation on his features._

 _"I don't want to see you touch Rin like that ever again. If you try it again, I'll make sure you regret it," Len threatens, his gaze darkening until the normal bright blue irises are the color of a midnight sky._

 _His point must have been made, because Meito waves a hand with a tut,turning his back to the two blondes. "Pfft, whatever. She's not worth the trouble, anyway," he says flippantly, casting a taunting look back at Len._

 _"Listen, you bastard -" Len starts, but before he can do anything, Rin's slim fingers wrap around his wrist, stopping him._

 _Meito laughs and walks away, and the boy takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. Turning to the girl beside him, his tone softens considerably. "...Are you okay?" he asks with concern._

 _Rin nods. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answers, her voice thin and subdued. Her eyes search his a few moments, and he grows a bit uncomfortable, trying to find something to say._

 _"...Thank you, Len," Rin says eventually, leaning up to kiss his cheek unexpectedly and give him a sweet, gentle smile. "I knew I could depend on you."_

 _When she walks away, Len is still trying to figure out why it seemed as if her thanks had more than one reason behind it._

* * *

 **Rule 6: "I'm kind of dense, so if you have feelings, you have to confess first or I won't realize!"**

* * *

 _This is it. His chance._

 _Being alone with Rin, finally, meant Len could finally get the words out. He swallows thickly, feeling his throat closing up from nervousness. He approaches her bed, where she lies sprawled on the yellow coverlet, her eyes focused on the textbook in front of her. He inhales deeply, and she glances over at him, her thickly lashed eyes narrowing as she takes in his red face._

 _"What?" she demands, pursing her lips._

 _He swallows again, trying to work past the tightness in his chest. 'Come on, Len, get it together,' he scolds himself internally._

 _Her expression turns progressively more irritated as time goes by, and Len eventually manages to scrape together what little courage he has, offering her a tiny, awkward smile. The words thankfully, finally, make their way out._

 _"H-Hey, Rin, I - I, um -"_

 _"Let me guess; you beat my score again, didn't you!?" she interrupts, "You're despicable, taking advantage of when I don't have time to kick your scrawny butt out of the rankings!"_

 _The accusatory tone and words catch him completely off guard, and Len stands there, his mouth opening and closing on the sentence he suddenly can't remember trying to say. Rin sits up, looking suddenly seriously pissed._

 _What is she even talking about...? Oh. Wait. It dawns on him - their favorite game, Death Should Not Have Taken Thee. Sometimes they compete for the better score. Is she referring to that...?_

 _Eventually getting his bearings, Len shakes his head, the blush worsening in his cheeks as he tries to correct her train of thought. "No, Rin, I was trying to say -"_

 _Rin snorts. "Ohhh, let me guess, you ate all the bananas in the house, didn't you? Glutton." She frowns at him._

 _Len nearly facepalms. " No, Rin, shut up for two seconds -"_

 _Before he can finish his sentence, a paperback smashes into his forehead, and he reels off balance, knocked into a dazed state by the sudden attack from the girl._

 _"Len, quiet down and let me study, will you?"_

 _At his lack of an answer, she peers over the edge of her bed to look at his fallen form. "I didn't hit you that hard." Rin frowns again._

 _Len sits up after a moment, rubbing his head and seeming more than a little confused._

 _"...I have absolutely no idea what I was trying to say."_

* * *

 **Rule 7: "My self confidence is a little lacking, so make sure every time you compliment me, it's only the truth!"**

* * *

 _Rin places her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Dammit, Len, quit it!"_

 _"What?" he says defensively, attempting not to stare any more than he already had._

 _"You keep giving me such strange looks - it's because I look dumb in this dress, don't I?"_

 _Uh, no. Len swallows down the words that rise into his throat. There isn't a single bad thing he has to say at this moment. He's completely speechless. He hadn't expected to see Rin looking so - wow._

 _Literally, the only comprehensible word he has for this is 'wow'. Good job, Len, your vocabulary is truly astounding._

 _When Rin had come down the stairs in a bright yellow, lacy dress - a strapless number with a jagged, layered skirt and a long edge dipping down and brushing the side of her knee - Len couldn't help but stare hopelessly at her, his heart in his throat. Not used to seeing her in a dress (she's a fan of skirts, but dresses have always been a no-no), this is almost overwhelming. Silently, he thanks himself for convincing her to go to the school dance with him._

 _Rin plucks at the accentuating waistline, biting her lip. "I should have never agreed to this," she complains. "I'm totally out of my element, and this makes me look so dumb." She adjusts the small, cute white bow on the left side of her head. "But hey, I get to see my best friend in a tux!" She then rolls her eyes at him as she takes in his black suit._

 _Len, managing an entire sentence, replies (with a hopefully very light blush), "No, you look..." He hesitates, struggling for the end, "...really pretty. I mean, seriously."_

 _He wishes he could go into depth, but feels she'd find it weird. In reality, she looks way more than pretty. Rin, when she chooses to doll herself up, shines brighter than the stars in terms of beauty. His heart pangs._

 _The girl in question lets out a short-lived, bitter laugh. "Listen to you - flattery? You know that kind of stuff doesn't work on me, Len -"_

 _Something about his expression cuts her off. "I'm not flattering you, Rin, you look beautiful," he promises her. He then holds out his hand to her and gives her a small smile._

 _Her cheeks color a bit, and she suddenly seems shy. "...No joking?" Her voice is quiet, as if she's a little afraid to hear the answer._

 _"No joke," he reassures her._

 _She pauses, before tentatively taking his hand and offering him a smile that sets his world on fire._

 _"...Thanks."_

* * *

 **Rule 8: "Sometimes I say horrible things when I'm angry. Please don't believe any of it, because I'll regret everything I said almost right away."**

* * *

 _There's persistent knocking at his bedroom window. Ugh. He just wants to sleep this entire day away. Why won't they leave him alone?!_

 _Wait... Bedroom window? Who knocks on a window? And in the middle of the night?_

 _Len attempts to ignore it, passing it off as a really low branch or something (his room is on the first floor, so already it's hard to believe), but when it continues at a consistent pace, he knows it has to be someone. Throwing his warm blankets away from him and scrambling to his feet, he readies a very displeased glare and pads barefoot to the window, throwing open the curtains -only to be completely baffled._

 _...Rin? What is she doing here? She honestly looks like she's freezing out there - she's only wearing a long sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants._

 _Wasn't she the one who said she didn't want to talk to him anymore?_

 _Len stares at her through the glass, disbelieving. Just earlier that day, she had said right to his face - "I hate you! I never want to talk to you again!"_

 _...So what exactly is she doing here?_

 _Rin makes a face at him through the window, motioning for him to open glares back at her. It has to be at least two in the morning. Why is she here right now?_

 _Annoyed and not really wanting to see her, he reluctantly pulls up the window to address Rin. Len looks at her coldly, and his tone comes out sharper than he intends - "What do you want?"_

 _"Len! Thank god you're awake!" Rin says, relief evident in her voice, as she hops around from foot to foot and rubs her arms._

 _"Not intentionally," Len responds with regret. "Get out of here, Rin, I- hey!"_

 _Len is forced to step back as the blonde girl shoves herself through his window, making her way inside with lithe grace that, even while upset with her, he can't help but admire. Once inside, she brushes herself off quickly._

 _"What are you doing?" he demands, feeling tired, irritable and more than just confused at her sudden appearance._

 _"Apologizing," Rin tells him. She takes a breath. "Look, I'm really sorry."_

 _"No thanks, I don't want to hear it." Len turns away, waving a hand at her dismissively. "You can just crawl right back through the window- it's way too late for this-"_

 _She grabs his arm, and Len is forced to pause out of reflex. Damn it. He really is wrapped around her finger._

 _"Hang on, please? I know what I said earlier hurt. I'm really sorry, Len," Rin tries, the words a bit rushed as she hurries to get them out. "It's been bothering me ever since. I was just so angry and I - I didn't mean to - I'm so sorry." Her voice drops. "You're my best friend."_

 _He can feel his resolve melting away already. It's always too hard to stay mad at her. Len sighs._

 _"So you decided to come to my house during the ungodly hours of the morning to apologize?" he asks, glancing back at her._

 _Rin nods furiously, releasing him to stretch and yawn. "Yeah, I - I had to. It was going to kill me until I did," she admits._

 _Len lets out a low exhale, rubbing his face and turning to look at her. "Alright, alright - fine, I forgive you -" He pauses. "Rin?"_

 _While blinking cluelessly at the sudden empty spot where the girl once stood, he hears a light snore from the other direction. Disbelieving, he whips around to see his best friend sprawled out on his bed, snoring into the blanket. Len's utterly shocked. 'How does she fall asleep that fast?!'_

 _He walks over, frowning down at her sleeping form, but letting resignation reign over him. With a noise of disgruntled affection, he ruffles the sleeping girl's hair._

 _"Yeah, I could never stay mad at you anyway," he mutters, feeling a little better with her there. Knowing that she cared, regretted their fight (he doesn't even remember what it was about, he's so tired) and wanted to apologize; that meant everything to him._

 _Len kisses her forehead lightly, a display of adoration he wouldn't ever do were she awake._

 _"...I forgive you," he whispers quietly._

 _He swears that he sees her smile._

* * *

 **Rule 9: "If you're someone special to me, I'll never leave your side. So don't leave mine, okay?"**

* * *

 _"Why are you here? I thought you were with Neru, studying again." Rin sniffs, glaring at Len from her front door._

 _"Why wouldn't I be? My assignments can wait long enough for me to check up on you. You're also my best friend, as well as being sick, so you take first priority," Len says while taking in Rin's messy appearance. Her blonde hair sticks up in places, proving she hasn't brushed it, and her face is permanently tinged red. Her comfy clothing is rumpled, and in her hand she clutches a wad of tissues._

 _"Len, I don't need you here. I'm fine. Go home." Rin is about to slam the door closed, but Len stops it with one hand._

 _"I'm not leaving until I know you've been properly been taken care of," Len tells her, pushing past and closing the door behind him._

 _"Ugh!" Rin throws her hands up, annoyed. "Fine! Do what you want, I -" Before she can finish her sentence, she launches into a coughing fit, wheezing loudly. Len gazes at her with worry._

 _"What I want is for you go lie down," he says, putting his arm around her and guiding her into the living room, making her sit. "I'll be right back with a blanket and a cup of tea."_

 _Catching her breath, Rin scowls, but doesn't protest._

 _A few minutes later, when he has her situated with a thick comforter and a warm mug of tea with a healthy dose of honey added to it, she doesn't quite seem to mind his presence anymore._

 _Thinking he's done what he can, he smiles. "Well, now that I know that you've been taken care of," he says, rising from where he sat on her coffee table. "I guess I'll go ahead and leave you alone, as per request. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."_

 _As he's about to make for her front door, her voice stops him. "H-hey, wait a minute," Rin calls, and he turns to look at her._

 _"...If you don't have anything going on, I've got some Studio Ghibli films I haven't seen in awhile I was planning on binge watching. If you don't mind hanging around..." She trails off, leaving the request hanging in the air._

 _Len's heart warms at this, because he knows this was Rin's way of asking him not to leave her - and he's completely okay with that._

 _"...Happily. Let's watch some cheesy anime movies," he agrees after a second of 'consideration' (AKA, just drawing it out to watch her expression), before grinning at her._

 _"Hey, you know the cheesiness is the best part!" Rin argues, and he laughs._

 _"Yeah, yeah." He waves a hand. "I thought your favorite part was the hot anime guys."_

 _"That, too," she admits, only a little embarrassed. "The hottest one, I swear, was Howl."_

 _"I thought you loved Calcifer? 'May all your bacon burn'," Len intones with a mock-annoyed voice. He loves it when her face lights up, vibrant and lively._

 _Her laughter is true music to his ears._

* * *

 **Rule 10: "I'm kind of a sore loser, so don't take it too personally when I attempt to murder you and your gaming skills if you beat me."**

* * *

 _He can feel it._

 _The gaze of an angry, seething demon eyeing his back, burning holes through him. Len shivers, hoping the enraged monster turns her gaze away, but to no avail._

 _"Len, you look like you've seen a ghost," Miku states curiously. "What's up?"_

 _"U-uh," he starts, looking at the tealette in front of him with desperation. "M-Miku, did - um, did Rin seem a little w-weird, today?" He hopes she can't hear him from over here - but Rin's hearing is truly amazing when she wants it to be._

 _"Huh? What do you mean?" Miku asks sweetly. "Other than having some kind of murderous vengeance for some guy, she seemed perfectly fine."_

 _Len swallows hard. "M-murderous vengeance?" His tone embodies casual curiosity, though his mind is screaming 'you need to run as far away as you possibly can before you are viciously killed.' He had no idea Rin was really that angry. It was just a game after all - surely she'd be fine if he won sometimes? However, he had seen her face yesterday... she was not happy._

 _"Oh, yeah, didn't you know? Apparently she was beaten in her favorite game - more than once," Miku says, before picking up her vegetable juice. "She's super ticked off right now."_

 _"Oh." He breathes out slowly, feeling the back of his neck prickling in fear. Yep, this is when he needs to nope right out of the situation, and find a quick escape. "O-oh, I see- "_

 _"Hello, Len. Fancy seeing you here - you're just the person I wanted to talk to."_

 _The demonic, blood-chilling, sickly sweet and poisonous voice of the monster behind him interrupts him, and goosebumps rise on his arms. Too late._

 _"OkaywellactuallyIhavetogorightthisminutesoI'lltalktoyoulaterbye!" Len chokes out abruptly, jumping up from the seat and hightailing it before he can even manage a look at Rin's face._

 _Behind him, as he hurries away with flight the only thing in his mind, two girls burst out in giggles._

* * *

 **Rule 11: "I won't ever forgive you if you betray my trust."**

* * *

 _He's never seen her look like this before._

 _So…_

 _...pained._

 _She's been shoving her food around her plate for the last ten minutes, not really looking at it, just playing with it to occupy her hands while her mind goes elsewhere._

 _Len wishes he knew why - he's unfortunately been forced to watch his best friend silently agonize over the reason. She won't talk to him about it. She just smiles at him._

 _He's learned to hate the sight of the always sorrowful expression on her face._

 _But what he hates more? Not being able to fix it._

 _"That's it! I'm done!"_

 _Len jumps, startled, as Rin tosses her fork down and pushes her tray away from her._

 _"I'm sick of thinking about it," she announces, looking at Len. "I'm sick of seeing you give me such pitiful looks! I'm done!"_

 _"Rin -?" Len says, confused. "If you'd just -"_

 _"I don't even care anymore! It's done and over with and I don't want to deal with it anymore!" Rin exclaims._

 _Len stares at her, and her blue eyes meet his, almost pleading. "...Okay."_

 _It's killing him, not knowing what was wrong and why Rin won't tell him. But he accepts that some things he can't know._

 _Doesn't mean he'll always accept it. Maybe at some point, she'll tell him._

 _...But, it won't be right now._

 _Rin relaxes into her seat, rubbing her face. "I'm sorry," she mumbles._

 _He reaches across the table and takes her hand, offering her a tiny, reassuring smile. "Hey, it's fine," he says, although it isn't. Not when it makes her look so sad. "But... Rin? You don't have to deal with - whatever it is - alone. When you're ready, go ahead and tell me, okay? You know I'm always around for you." He rubs her hand._

 _Rin looks at him and smiles, tightening her own hand around his. "...Thanks, Len. Maybe when I can think about it without being ready to kill something," she mutters, trying for a more light-hearted tone, but it falls a little flat._

 _Len nods, because that's all he can do. It hurts him, seeing her trying to be happy and not being able to help her. It's his job; he promised himself and her that he'd do what he could for her. Being her closest friend meant he's supposed to ease her pain._

 _Like this, though - he can't do anything. That simple fact burns him inside._

 _The only thing he's capable of doing is just being there for her._

 _For now, that can - no, has to be enough._

* * *

 **Rule 12: "Erm, last important one... If I say I love you, I mean it with every fiber of my being. So never say you love me if you don't mean it."**

* * *

"Is that it?" Len says, looking up from the pad of paper he'd furiously been scribbling on.

Rin nods, looking satisfied. "It's all I can think of right now," she answers, flashing one of her trademark smiles his way and effectively causing his heart to triple-time. "It doesn't sound like too much, does it?" Her voice is hopeful as well as slightly concerned.

He scans the paper a moment before shaking his head. "...Nah. It sounds just like you," he says, tapping the pen to his chin. "This list is key for any boyfriend you ever get."

Rin shoots him a dirty look. "I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing." She frowns at Len.

"Let's just say it's good," Len says, trying to appease his best friend as he scans over the words on the paper.

Sighing to herself, Rin stretches out on her bed, sighing girlishly. "Great! Thanks for helping me with it, Len."

"No problem." Len's still engrossed in it, as if memorizing the paper.

"So, do you think my future boyfriend will follow that?" Rin asks doubtfully, a questioning look on her face. "I mean, seriously? It'll probably be hard to find a guy to actually pay attention to all of that..."

"I think that, if he wants to be with you, Rin, he'll definitely follow it," he reassures her, standing from where he'd been dutifully sitting at her desk for the last hour as she had planned and thought up the 'Rules'.

He chuckles internally - it's such a Rin thing, to come up with this idea. "Help me figure out what I want out of the ideal boyfriend!" she had said.

Rin yawns, sitting up and running her fingers through her tousled blonde bangs. "Well, I sure hope so," she says, standing from the squishy mattress and rubbing her eyes. "Man, I didn't realize it was so late." She walks over and peers out her bedroom window at the pitch black night.

Len, placing the paper down on the desk, steels himself. "I think it's a really good list," he admits slowly.

"Huh? Really?" Rin glances at him and tilts her head. "It seems kinda dumb, now that we're finished." She laughs a little, nervous. "I mean, what guy is gonna wanna follow rules like those?" She rolls her eyes at the prospect.

"I would."

Rin blinks at her best friend, curious. "Huh? You would?" She seems relatively surprised.

Len swallows. "Yeah, I mean... I've already done everything on this list," he mutters to himself, turning to Rin.

"What?" She seems confused now. "What do you mean?"

Len wanders over to where she stood, blue eyes darkening, and Rin takes a cautious step back. She appears oblivious to what's going on.

"I've done everything I could according to that list," he points out, a small, anxious smile on his face. "...Except for one thing."

Rin, staring at him as if he's a ghost, speaks again. "Len-?"

His fingertips then reach up to lightly brush along her cheeks, and he relishes the feeling - and dreads the mixture of shocked uncertainty on Rin's face. "Let me complete the list. " He takes a deep breath.

"...Rin, I love you."

It's finally out. The words he's both been dying to say and fearing would surface. The confession is out in the open, and his heart bared to the girl he cherishes. After everything he's been through with her, Len has officially gotten the guts to admit his feelings. Inside, he's partially relieved - but the feeling vanishes as he takes in her reaction.

The blonde girl's eyes widen, and her mouth forms a small O of surprise, her mind clearly trying to work through what he just said. "Len...?" Her voice is deadly quiet, unsettling so, as Len's heart creates a loud drumbeat in his ears.

"...If this is some weird joke you're trying to play on me," she starts, and he feels his heart plummet to the floor, "then you better think again. One, the last rule clearly states that-"

"-I can't say 'I love you' without meaning it, right?" Len finishes for her. "I know. Which is why I'm saying it, Rin; I mean it."

"...You mean, y-you actually...?" Rin manages to choke out, her cheeks lighting up into a brilliant red as her eyes travel the floor. "This isn't a j-joke, after all...?"

"No, I promise," he tries to convince her, making her look up at him. "I wouldn't joke about this. I... I actually really love you." He feels as if his tongue is a leaden weight in his mouth. So far, her reaction is indecipherable; he can't tell whether she's happy or upset.

Then, she smiles.

Len watches a soft smile spread across her face, and her beautiful cerulean eyes fill up with tears.

Within the next second, Rin throws her arms around him in a rib-crushing hug, and his face is literally on fire with a mixture of embarrassed happiness as she mumbles into his shirt.

 _Am I dreaming?_

Then the warmest, most beautiful feeling enters his body when Rin finally manages comprehensible words, making every late night with her, every tear shed, every broken object, every moment with confusion, every laugh and smile and subtle yet ignored hint of feelings, and every single day he spent waiting, worth it.

"...I love you too, you big dummy."

* * *

A/N: **EDIT as of 12/03/15:** Many, many thanks to the lovely and legendary **Piriluk** for being my wonderful and kind beta!

*Glances at word count* Dude this was sUPPOSED TO BE A SHORT ONESHOT-

- _why is it 6,000 words long-?_

*clears throat and sips apple cider*

Okay, _so._ I've had this in the works for like a month, and I was like 'wow I need to get a grip already, it's good okay so stop procrastinating." And most the time my muse was either '*laughs into sun*'or 'let's create some good ole fluffy trash okay'. (Which is why the ending is also not that great I mean I went full on fluffy fail there. Please forgive me, I spent like twenty minutes trying to figure out if I wanted it to end this way.)

I'm so glad I finished it, though! Also, note; his is a oneshot for now, but I actually may make this into a twoshot sometime. I'm putting it under complete for the moment, but keep an eye out, alright? I promise if it does turn into a two-shot, it'll be just more fluff, XD.

Give some love to my beta, for helping correct my fail and making this awesomer. :3

Anyways, thank you all for reading this huuuuuuuuuuge oneshot! (I wrote this listening to _'Handbeat Clocktower', 'Chocolate Box',_ and ' _Isolation=Thanatos'._ ) I love you all, and I'll hopefully see you soon! *If I ever finish that Kagamine birthdayshot ahah /murdered/*

Read on~!

~Disclaimer~ I own the nine rings of orange hell (where I swear I reside sometimes), sweet confessions and a love of Calcifer and Howl from _Howl's Moving Castle._ Unfortunately, I've yet to own the Kagamines- but there's always Christmas. :3


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